Chrysanthemum named &#39;Plum Crazy&#39;

ABSTRACT

A new variety of  Chrysanthemum  plant named ‘Plum Crazy’, characterized by its good uniform canopy of dark purple flowers. The new variety has a medium vigor, a free branching and uniform spreading habit, a good foliage presentation and flowers week 38 in natural season.

LATIN NAME OF THE GENUS AND SPECIES Botanical Classification

Chrysanthemum×morifolium Ramat.

VARIETY DENOMINATION

The new Chrysanthemum variety denomination is ‘Plum Crazy’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar ofChrysanthemum botanically known as Chrysanthemum×morifolium Ramat., andreferred to by the cultivar name ‘Plum Crazy’, identified as 30769-0originated from a cross made in a controlled breeding program inChichester, West Sussex, United Kingdom. The new and cultivar wasdiscovered and selected as a flowering plant in September 2000.

The female parent of the new variety is an undistributed, unpatentedseedling identified as G69D2 and the male parent is the unpatentedvariety ‘Cyblis’.

The new variety ‘Plum Crazy’ has been asexually reproduced by vegetativecuttings in Chichester, West Sussex, United Kingdom and thedistinguishing characteristics are retained through successivegenerations of asexual reproduction.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

‘Plum Crazy’ is a garden type of Chrysanthemum plant variety having auniformed domed capitulum of dark purple decorative type flowers.

Comparison with Female Parent

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum variety ‘Plum Crazy’ are dissimilar tothe female parent ‘G69D2’ in plant habit and growth rate. Inside-by-side comparisons in Chichester, West Sussex, United Kingdom,under commercial practice, plants of the new Chrysanthemum variety ‘PlumCrazy’ differed from plants of the female parent ‘G69D2’ in thefollowing characteristics:

-   -   1. The new variety ‘Plum Crazy’ produces purple decorative        flowers whereas the female parent ‘G69D2’ produces pink        decorative flowers.    -   2. In natural growth condition, plants of the new variety ‘Plum        Crazy’ show flowers one week after plants of the female parent        ‘G69D2’.    -   3. The plants of the new variety ‘Plum Crazy’ have a more        uniform growing habit than the plants of the female parent        ‘G69D2’.

Comparison with Male Parent

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum variety ‘Plum Crazy’ are similar to themale parent ‘Cyblis’ in plant habit and growth rate. However, inside-by-side comparisons in Chichester, West Sussex, United Kingdom,under commercial practice, plants of the new Chrysanthemum variety ‘PlumCrazy’ differed from plants of the male parent ‘Cyblis’ in the followingcharacteristics:

-   -   1. The new variety ‘Plum Crazy’ produces purple decorative        flowers whereas the male parent ‘Cyblis’ produces purple daisy        flowers.    -   2. In natural growth condition, plants of the new variety ‘Plum        Crazy” show flowers one week before plants of the male parent        ‘Cyblis’.

Comparison with Most Similar Variety

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum variety ‘Plum Crazy’ are similar toplants of the variety ‘Jenny Wren Crimson’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 16,035 inplant habit and growth rate. However, in side-by-side comparisons inChichester, West Sussex, United Kingdom, under commercial practice,plants of the new Chrysanthemum variety ‘Plum Crazy’ differed fromplants of ‘Jenny Wren Crimson’ in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. The new variety ‘Plum Crazy’ produces purple flowers and the        variety ‘Jenny Wren Crimson’ produces crimson flowers.    -   2. Plants of the new variety ‘Plum Crazy’ have larger blooms        than the plants of the ‘Jenny Wren Crimson’.    -   3. In natural growth condition, plants of the new variety ‘Plum        Crazy’ flower three weeks later than plants of ‘Jenny Wren        Crimson’.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Typical specimens of the plant and flowers for the new Chrysanthemumvariety ‘Plum Crazy’ are shown in the accompanying photograph. Thecolors shown are as true as possible within the usual limits of thiskind of illustration. FIG. 1 is a whole plant view of the new variety‘Plum Crazy’ grown in a pot. The plant shown in the illustration isaround 90 days from the commencement of planting outdoors in naturalseason conditions.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The following description of the new Chrysanthemum variety ‘Plum Crazy’is of plants grown outside, natural season, in Chichester, West Sussex,United Kingdom in the month of September in 2010. The cultivar has notbeen observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotypemay vary significantly with variations in the environment such astemperature, length of day and light intensity, without any variance ingenotype. The commercial classification of the new variety is a gardenChrysanthemum.

Plants of the new variety have been grown successfully under temperatureconditions averaging about 10° C. at night and about 10° C. to 25° C.during the day. The plants were grown outdoors in 4 liter pots using aloamless compost. No growth retardants were used.

To produce a commercial product, the plants need not to be pinched. Thetypical container size for commercial growth is 4 liters. It has beenobserved that the shelf life of the new variety is about 28 days with aresponse time of about 13 weeks natural season. The new variety issuitable for a temperature range of 10° C. to 25° C.

The new variety may be produced as a garden pot plant. The followingdescription is with respect to a plant produced as a garden pot plant.In the description of this new Chrysanthemum variety, color values havebeen taken from The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, edition2001.

-   Plant:    -   -   Plant type.—Pot.        -   Habit.—Domed, free branching and spreading.        -   Height (cm).—25.        -   Width (cm).—45.        -   Stem.—Length (cm): 12 Diameter (cm): 0.5-1 Texture: Rough            Color: near Grey-brown 199B.        -   Branching characteristics.—Free branching and spreading.        -   Lateral branches.—Length (cm): 6-13 Diameter (cm): 0.5-0.7            Texture: Slightly rough.        -   Natural season flowering date.—week 38.        -   Vigor.—medium to tall.        -   Shelf life.—28 days.        -   Life of blooms.—28 days.        -   Disease (susceptibility/resistance observed).—None observed            to date.        -   Pest (susceptibility/resistance observed).—None observed to            date.        -   Drought and temperature (susceptibility/resistance            observed).—None observed to date.        -   Growth retardant type and treatment.—No treatment necessary            The plants were grown for 14 weeks in natural season            conditions.-   Propagation:    -   -   Type.—Vegetative propagation via stem cuttings.        -   Time to rooting.—12 days with soil temperatures of 21° C.        -   Rooting habit.—In 12 long days, a complete root system is            developed.-   Foliage:    -   -   Number of leaves per lateral branch.—6-9.        -   Compound or single.—Single.        -   Arrangement of leaves.—Alternate Shape of Leaf: Typically 5            lobed ovate Size of Leaf: Width (cm): 1.8-3.8; Length (cm):            3-4.5 Leaf Apex: Acute Base: Corbate Attachment: Petioled            Aspect: Slightly undulating Margin: Palmately lobed Surface            characteristics: Top: Slightly pubescent Bottom: Slightly            pubescent.        -   Petiole.—Color: near Yellow-green 148A Length (cm): 0.8-1            Diameter (cm): 0.1-0.2 Surface: Slightly pubescent.        -   Venation.—Net, prominent mid-veins at underside Color: upper            side: near Yellow-green148A under side: near            Yellow-green148A.        -   Color.—Mature Leaf, upper side: near Yellow-green 147A;            under side: near Yellow-green 147B Young Leaf, upper side:            near Yellow-green 147A; under side: near Yellow-green 147B.-   Inflorescence:    -   -   Inflorescence appearance.—Matte.        -   Inflorescence type.—Single.        -   Inflorescence form.—Slightly cupped.        -   Inflorescence shape.—Round.        -   Flowering habit.—Cyme.        -   Number of inflorescences per branch.—6-15.        -   Depth of fully expanded inflorescences (cm).—1.        -   Diameter of fully expanded inflorescences (cm).—7.        -   Phyllaries.—Number: 20 Color: near Yellow-green147A Length            (cm): 0.4-0.6 Width (cm): 0.1-0.2 Texture/Appearance:            Shiny/Slightly pubescent.        -   Pedicel.—Length: terminal (cm): 4-6; lateral (cm): 1-3            Diameter (cm): 0.2 Angle from stem (degrees): 45 Color: near            Yellow-green 146B Surface: Slightly pubescent Habit:            Slightly curving Strength: Medium.        -   Ray florets.—Form/Shape: Straight Texture/Appearance: Matte            Number per flower: about 700 Length (cm): 2-3; Width (cm):            1-3 Apex: Rounded Base: Tubular Margin: Entire.        -   Disc florets.—Form/Shape: Cylindrical Texture/Appearance:            Matte Number per flower: 8-15 Length (cm): 0.3; Width (cm):            0.1 Diameter of disc (cm): 0.3.        -   Fragrance.—None.        -   Flower bud (at onset of color).—Length (cm): 0.7 Diameter            (cm): 0.9 Form/Shape: Domed flat.        -   General flower color.—1. Ray florets, upper side: Immature:            near Red-purple 59B Mature: near Red-purple 61A            Older/Fading: near Red-purple 71A 2. Ray florets, under            side: Immature: near Purple 77B Mature: near Purple 77B            Older/Fading: near Purple 77C 3. Bud: near 77B.        -   Flower progression with age.—When the flower ages, the ray            florets are reflexing and becoming lighter.-   Reproductive organs: Gynoecium present on Ray florets    -   -   Ray florets per individual flower.—Pistillate Pistil number:            near 700 Stigma color: near Yellow 9A Stigma shape: Forked            Style color: near Yellow 9B Style length (cm): 0.3.        -   Disc florets per individual flower.—Pistillate Pistil            number: 8-15 Stigma color: near Yellow-orange 14A Stigma            shape: Forked Style color: near Yellow-green 154B Style            length (cm): 0.4.        -   Androecium present on disc florets only.—Staminate Stamen            number: 8-15 Anther shape: Clubbed Anther color: Near            Yellow-orange 17B Pollen color: Near Yellow-orange 14A            Pollen quantity: None.        -   Seeds.—None observed.

1. A new and distinct variety of Chrysanthemum plant, substantially asdescribed and illustrated herein.